thomsonfly does not allow you to buy child (under two) a seat
 

Just thought i would share what i saw this a.m. in the bournemouth airport returning on a thomsonfly (lowcost) flight to valencia, spain.

a couple in front of me had to pay 4 kilos overweight for a child's knapsack ( she was under two). this cost them 20 GBP.

The problem was that they had TRIED to buy her a SEAT on the airplane when booking on internet and by phone, but they weren't allowed to. They were told that the company policy is "under two.. no seat,.. sits on lap, no luggage allowance". ( and they mean it). the refused to sell her a seat.

What i find a concern for is the parents who would like to put their infant in a protective car seat while flying, thus buying them a seat. or, the parent who doesn't FEEL like having kid on his lap for two full hours on full plane.

this is just a warning about some of the policies of these low cost airlines.

i still don't understand the logic behind it.

also, i was not allowed to put the knapsack on MY luggage allowance because we weren't on the same ticket, so i couldn't even help them out.

other than that, it was a pleasant flight, on time and clean aircraft.

"also, i was not allowed to put the knapsack on MY luggage allowance because we weren't on the same ticket, so i couldn't even help them out."

This kind of silly policy really bugs me. If I had been you (and if I had thought of it quick enough), I'd say to the guy, "Hey I need one of those. I'll buy it from you for a dollar", then check it through as my allowance, and when arriving at the destination sell it back to him for a dollar. What right does the clerk have to tell you that you can't take something for someone else if it would be within your limits?

i really felt sorry for them because i imagine the 4 kilos was probably mostly water and food for the baby.. and probably more than one of the tickets they bought!

Oh Patrick, leave it to you to always be a quick thinker. That would have been great, buying the knapsack from the other passenger for a dollar, LOL. Wonder what this fantastic airline would have said then. Sometimes trying to save money doesn't pay although I sure understand a lot of travellers are on tight budgets.

Isn't it likely that not allowing you to take someone else's bags is a security thing? Good grief, in this day and age why would you even consider for a moment carrying something for a total stranger?

Patrick,

Not for the first time on these boards (or even the second or third time come to that) I laughed out loud at your quick thinking!

I guess that you were probably being a little tongue in cheek and I apologise in advance if I'm taking your post too seriously, but in reality if lincasanova had bought the knapsack she would have had a problem the minute she was asked if she had picked the bag herself.

Jim

What I feel even MORE concerned about is a pair of parents who KNEW they couldn't buy a seat for the child to protect it and traveled ANYWAY!!!

many of us.. i am sure, in the past, travelled with our under two's across the ocean with the kids on our laps.

what amazes me is that an airline can OBLIGATE a family NOT to take measure to protect their child in flight now that we have been advised to use car seats, etc. on the planes.

isn't this discrimination? why can a child two and one day old have the seat when the parents of the younger child are quite willing to pay the same?

i reconfirmed with the agent, and even if you want to.. you cannot buy your child a ticket.

still can't believe it.

OK, perhaps I was being just a bit tongue in cheek, but a couple of thoughts come to mind. I don't recall getting that third degree "did you pack this yourself?" when flying from cities in the UK to other European cities -- maybe I'm wrong.

And the idea of "even thinking of taking luggage from a stranger". Call me irresponsible, but a young couple with a baby pleading to get their baby's stuff on the plane and not pay extra and trying to buy the baby a seat? I'm not very good at profiling, but I would happily trust carrying their luggage. In any case, a quick rummage through the bag should dispel any negative thoughts I'd possibly have about some kind of terrorist equipment.

But just for the record, my quick thinking happens much more easily when I'm sitting at home in front of my computer thinking about what I COULD say, than if I were standing in the airport in line.

Sorry Patrick, but I think you're being entirely too trusting. They may not fit your profile for terrorists, but they could easily have drugs. Why take the risk?

lincasanova, I would be more concerned that the parents, knowing the airline's policy, still flew with them.

I don't feel sorry for any people involved here. They knew the airline's regulations when they booked -- or if they didn't, they should have found out. If they didn't like it, they should have booked a different flight, it's really that simple. So they had to pay for extra baggage because they were over the limit. Well, those are the regulations. If it were only 20 GBP, I assume they still saved money over buying an extra seat.

I don't know why airlines have that rule about not being able to buy a seat for a child under two, as long as they would price it as the same as an adult seat so they weren't losing revenue. However, the fact is, that was this airline's policies. People need to learn to read and stop excepting airlines to change their stated policies just for them. If they don't like it, they do not need to fly that airline.